The King's Challenge
by Wendy Pierce
Summary: "Most people would say this challenge is a walk in the park-where you can causally strode through with no problems what-so-ever. Wrong. Instead of a lovely walk, death awaits at every corner. Not happiness or joy. But death-just death." Once Brady returns to the island, he is put up to the test to see if he can remain King. What will happen when his loved ones are put in danger?


**THIS one-shot was the cause of my absence on this site. I was also working on new story idea which won't come out till...say the end of January. Maybe even sooner or later for that matter. Warning: This. Is. Horrible. My absolute worse work yet. **

**Disclaimer- I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>The King's Challenge<br>**"People of Kinkow!" Lanny shouted over the roar of the crowd, instantly shushing them. His gaze swept through the stadium, eyeing everyone in disgust. "We are all gathered here today to see if former Co-King, Brady"-he gestured to a corner of the arena, where the raven-haired boy awkwardly stood-"is worthy of the throne! And let us hope that he is not." He added the last part under his breath.

"He will go through a series of grueling tests which will challenge his strength, bravery, and wisdom. Each challenge differs from the rest, increasing in difficulty. And let's just say there are a few...Surprises." The young (and frankly, very short) man smirked, an evil gleam in his eyes.

"There are only two tests; and if he survives it, he will retake his rightful name as Co-King of Kinkow! Brady, acquired by the rules, will be allowed to take a weapon of his choice. So if he doesn't know how to yield one, he is certainly doomed!" The whole stadium laughed. "But," he continued, rather disappointingly. "Since rules are rules, he has half an hour to talk to any loved ones before being sent to his death-I mean challenge!" Lanny waved dismissively towards Brady, who was pulled into another room.

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><p>Brady gazed blankly at the dark floor of the dimly-light room.<p>

Boomer stood in the doorway and Mikayla leaned against the wall opposite of him.

Tension hung in the air. And it was slowly killing Brady.

The dark-skinned King was the first to speak-the first to break the silence in between the three teenagers. "Well?"

Brady's head shot up. "Well, what?" What his brother was trying to say, he had no idea.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Boomer asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What is it that you want me to say?" He spat.

"Hmm..How about 'I'm sorry'? Or that you didn't mean to abandon us?! When you left, you made Mikayla miserable!" Boomer gestured to the guard girl. "Do you have any idea how much hell you put her through? SHE blamed herself for something YOU clearly did! And what made you think that you could just come back and everything would be alright? Look at where you are right now-you're preparing for your death!"

"So, what, I'll die in this. I'd just like for you to know that even if this wasn't a challenge, I'd still take the bullet for not only Mikayla, but for YOU as well. Don't you understand that I actually care for you?" Brady yelled back.

"Then WHY did you leave in the first place?!"

The two kept bouncing insults back and forth to the other-some not as polite as others. They were too deep in their argument to acknowledge the fact that the guard girl was still in the room.

"Hey!" She finally got their full attention. She turned to Boomer. "You should probably leave."

"Oh, and I bet you two would like that." He muttered in annoyance as he turned his back to them and walked away.

"Maybe you should go too, Mikayla-I don't think you enjoy being in my presence." Brady let out a dark, cold laugh. "Boomer was right; I'm only a jerk. Tell me, Mikayla, do you like me?" The response that he wasn't expecting was a pair of soft lips press against his.

"Why don't you tell me?" She whispered as she pulled away.

"W-What was that for?" He was truly shocked. Mikayla was not the one to do such a thing.

"It was for good luck. You know...Just in case..." She ruffled his hair, slightly scaring the boy. Mikayla got up and left, never once looking back.

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><p>"Challenge time!" Lanny announced in a sing-song voice. He stood in the center of the arena, Brady standing not very far from him. On the sidelines, in the Royal Skybox <strong>(if that's what they call it)<strong> sat Boomer and Mikayla, yet only one of them was worried for Brady's sake-and that person wasn't Boomer.

"Chose a weapon before we begin." he motioned to a row of weapons. Brady's choice of weapon was a machete-it being the only weapon he knew how to handle.

"Many people would say this challenge is a walk in the park-where you can causally strode through with no problems what-so-ever. Wrong. Instead of a lovely walk, death awaits at every corner. Not happiness or joy. But death-just death." Lanny added what he thought was a 'friendly' reminder to Brady. "This first challenge will help you conquer your biggest fear. Good luck!" He said with one of the most dumbest grins plastered on his face.

Lanny ran off to the sidelines, leaving Brady to be dumbfounded. The floor rumbled. Villagers held on for dear life. Girls (mainly Boomer) gave a high-pitched scream. In a matter of seconds, a house emerged from the floor of the arena. Brady fell backwards. "...It can't be..."

In front of the boy was a haunted house-also known as his biggest fear. "You have to stay in it for the remainder of the day!" Lanny told him.

"What kind of challenge is that?" He asked.

"It was the islands-not mine!" Lanny wished that instead of the island, he could make the tests. He found no excitement in the challenges the island gave. The islands challenges were like child's play to him-they always played on the safe side, never straying too far from the sidewalk. If they were a bit more on the dangerous side, he would have had an opportunity to kill the Kings without being blamed or interrupted.

Brady gulped and fiddled with the collar to his shirt. "Here goes nothing." He slowly made his way to the house. Before he could distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy, a hand reached out and pulled him into the house.

Everyone in the arena gasped. Lanny was the only one who smiled. "He'll make it out alive; you just wait." That was only to reassure the others of what he thought to be the actual death of the former King.

In the haunted house, Brady faced his attacker-a suit of armor. He didn't know whether a human was in it or not. But it wasn't important at the time. Brady kicked the suit of armor in the stomach, sending it flying backwards and into pieces. An arm of the suit, however, still gripped onto his arm, causing him to scream and run up a flight of stairs.

When he whipped around, the pieces of the armor flew to the other side of the room and re-built itself, only bigger and stronger. The armor unsheathed its sword and played with it before pointing it in Brady's direction. "I'm just going to-" he carefully and quietly creeped away from the armor who watched him with such interest.

He turned around and darted down the empty hallway with his hands flailing in the air and a loud cry of "Mother have Mercy!". Metal stomped against the floorboards, evidently being the armor coming after the boy. Brady pivoted a corner and ran into a grandfather clock. Once the clock stroke two, the skeleton of a bird popped out, causing the boy to fall backwards. "Watch your back!" It chirped.

What the dead bird meant, he had no clue. But he soon did. He heard the footsteps of the armor fade away. Brady knew better than to think that it had just disappeared. He cautiously turned around to face the armor. "Oh my." The armor raised his sword. Brady tuck and rolled just in time for the armor to slice not him, but the grandfather clock in half. "I don't care if people say I shouldn't run to solve my problems; I've got nothing else!"

The boy was oblivious to the fact that although he was trapped in the evil mansion, his every move was being watched from several of television screens positioned on top of and all around the arena. Boomer slapped his forehead at his brother's actions. "He couldn't get any dumber, could he now?" He thought out loud.

"At least he tried to save himself before running the other way." Mikayla defended, her eyes glued to the TV screen. She nervously played with her fingers, praying that Brady would somehow make it out alive.

And Boomer wasn't making the mood any better. "Of course you would say that because you're so in _love_ with him!"

Without directing a glance towards Boomer, Mikayla drew her left hand back and caught his jaw in a punch. "Be respectful!" She shushed him.

"How can I be respectful when he's doing _that_?" Boomer pointed to the screen.

As the image changed to view another corner of the mansion, Brady could be seen running into an empty room. The image changed again to show that the boy locked himself in a room. He was seen pressing his back up against it as if that might help him-but it didn't. The screen altered to a different angle inside the same room, broadcasting the armor's sword sliding through the door, nearly inches away from the boy's ear.

"You should fight like a man, not a little girl!" Boomer shouted at the screen.

Mikayla rested a hand on his shoulder, making the King jump. "Yeah, and _Brady's_ the one with the manning-up to do."

Lanny glanced at his watch and then to a TV screen. "Son of a gun!" He yelled, outraged. "You had him in your grasp for the past two hours; and yet you couldn't kill him when you had the perfect opportunity to!"

This 'lovely' comment from Lanny made a few villagers give him a questionable look. "Oh, just watch your precious former King fail miserably." He snapped, causing those villagers to shrug and turn their attention to a screen.

Brady was struggling to beat the suit of armor. Once it had broken through the door, he knew that he couldn't run anymore-that he had soon reached the end. It took him a few moments to realize that he had been clutching onto a weapon this entire time and that it was probably a smart idea to use it. So, once the armor swung his sword at Brady's head, he parried the blow by clashing his sword with his opponents. The armor drew his sword backwards and attempted to gut the boy in the stomach. Brady dove to the side as the armor stabbed nothing.

The boy jumped to his feet and got into a fighting stance. When the suit stood in place, Brady threw several of blows at it; none of which were helpful. The suit grabbed his free arm and flipped him to the ground. He then walked over to the bed, where he sat watching the boy cry out in pain. "That is the LAST time I am ever leaving this island again!"

The boy forced himself to stand and ignore his aching body parts. Although he just wanted to quit and go to sleep, he knew that he had to do more than give such weak attempts. Determination shined bright in his eyes. Anger boiled in his veins as he charged towards the suit. With only one swing at the suit, the whole thing collapsed into ashes. Brady fell back onto the bed, glad that he got the challenge over with.

But, the challenge was yet to be completed.

The whole foundation of the mansion shook, causing the boy to fall off the bed. Tiles on the floor fell off one by one until Brady fell to the second floor of the house. Fortunately, the red carpet caught his fall. The soft cushioned rug turned into a red liquid. _Blood_. Underneath the boy was _blood_. Now, he didn't know who it belonged to but now was probably not the best time to question the source of the fluid. To keep his balance from falling over in fright, he gripped onto the wall that he, until that moment, realized was a dark shade of purple and rather soft.

He prayed for the cushiony wall to swallow him up and take him away from mansion. The blood ran down the hallway, this time hurtling towards the boy like a wave-increasing in speed, and threatening to take his life. Brady closed his eyes. When he re-opened them, he found himself standing in the middle of the arena, the crowd cheering for him. The boy directed a glare to his cousin. "You said for the remainder of the day; not two hours!" He scolded.

Lanny threw his hands in the air defensively. "I told you; the island decides whether or not you're ready to the challenge. It's not my fault!" He smirked. "You're going to _love_ this next challenge."

"What is-" A bright light engulfed the boy. Before he knew it, he was floating in the air and being carried off to his next challenge.

Heat radiated from under the boy's feet. For a second there, he was under the impression that he was being baked in an oven. But, with one glance to the floor, he soon realized that he was standing on a small island above lava. Meaning he was in the middle of Mt. Spew. _Great. _

Lanny appeared on a platform above Brady. "Welcome to your last challenge. This test is quite a page turner...If you'll direct your attention to the TV." Lanny motioned to a screen that floated over the boy's head.

"Brady," a voice boomed. "For this challenge, you'll have save your loved ones from drowning..In lava." The screen showed Boomer and Mikayla locked up in two separate cages, over a pool of lava. Boomer attacked his cage, more than desperate to escape. A gag formed over Boomers mouth, causing his words to become muffled. "You must skip across this pebble stone path before it collapses." The screen changed to show how Brady was supposed to do what was needed. "Then you must successfully get your loved ones without drowning."

"How the heck do you suppose I do that?!" Brady questioned the TV.

"I thought you might need a little I inspiration," Lanny answered. "So, I put together a tape." He motioned to the TV once again. On the screen, however, was something no one expected: it showed what happened during the half an hour Brady was given to talk to any close loved ones-including the kiss Mikayla gave him.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for this later!" Mikayla threatened, only to have her mouth covered by a gag.

"You first have to _live_ through this to be able to get me back." He reminded the girl. Lanny clapped his hands together. "And, even better; I have Mason's reaction to that kiss you shared with his daughter!" The TV showed Mason jumping out of his seat, unsheathing his machete, and threatening "If this challenge doesn't kill you, I will, Parker!".

Brady gulped. "I better not make it out of this challenge alive, then." He carefully leaped from one stone to another, never directing his gaze downwards for obvious reasons. It was when he got to the fifth stone that every other stone started to collapse from under his feet. He recited his famous "Oh my" before screaming and carelessly running to the closest cliff he could jump on. He landed face first, which, to be honest, hurt a lot. "Remind me to stay on this island for good. I won't even mind if you tie me down to a chair." He shrugged.

"Brady!" Boomer and Mikayla both cried said boy's name just as the rope that held them fell an inch.

"I'm coming!" Brady yelled even though he was walking an centimeter a minute.

"Gee, Brady." came from Mikayla. She pulled her gag down, Brady just realized. "It's not like we have all day."

The aforementioned boy glared at the girl. He crossed his arms. "I could go even slower if you'd like."

Mikayla shook her head. "The pace you're going at is perfectly fine with me."

"That's what I thought." Brady shimmied (yes, he _actually _shimmied) up a ladder to a platform that faced his brother and friend.

Boomer pulled his gag down. "Look, Brady. Forget about everything I said earlier; save me and you'll be forgiven!" The boy cried. The rope holding his cage snapped, causing Boomer to screech like a, what was the technical term for someone who gives such a high-pitched scream again? A girl, was it?

"What else do you want me to do-ballet near the edge of the cliff?" Brady said sarcastically. "Don't you think this is the wrong occasion to do so?"

Brady searched for anything that could help him lower his loved ones to safety. He found absolutely nothing. "What to do, what to do!" The boy racked his brain for something-anything-that didn't involve jumping into a pool of lava. His eyes flickered to the rope. Another minute and his brother and friend were to drown. Also, his ability to not perform under pressure well didn't help him the least bit.

He ambled to the end of the cliff. "Watch your step, Brady!" warned Boomer.

"I know what I'm-" Instead of doing as told, Brady fell off the side of the cliff.

Mikayla cried "No!" while Lanny exclaimed "Yes!".

"Why him?" Boomer yelled at the sky.

A light surrounded the three teenagers and took them back to the arena.

"Are you going to do nothing about him?" Boomer took a fist full of his cousins shirt and shook him wildly.

"What are you taking about, Boom?" A voice came from behind the King.

Boomer whipped around. He jumped behind Mikayla and yelled "Ghost!". Because, what he didn't expect to see was his twin. _Alive. _

"You lived!" exclaimed Mikayla when she caught a glimpse of the supposedly deadformer King. "How?"

The raven haired boy shrugged. "I didn't fall to my death; I was lucky enough to land on the side of a cliff. I also got a slight..Wegie, but let's save that story for another day..."

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><p>"Congratulations, Brady!" Lanny announced even though he really did not mean it. "You are now Co-King of Kinkow once again!"<p>

With his fists clenched and a not so pleasant look, Lanny marched out of the arena. "You had ONE job!" He yelled at the sky. "Stupid island!"

Back in the arena, Boomer, Mikayla and Mason ran up to Brady. "Thank goodness you made it out alive!" came from Boomer, who engulfed his brother in a big bear hug.

The raven-haired boy eyed his twin strangely. "Earlier today, you were threatening me! Now, you're perfectly fine with me! What's wrong with you?"

Boomer shrugged. "I did say during your last challenge that I'll be forever grateful if you saved my butt; and you did."

Mikayla grabbed Brady's shoulders, forcing him to face her. What she did next surprised everyone. She raised her hand to his cheek, making the boy cry out in pain. Just in case you didn't realize it, yes, she _did_ slap him. "Maybe I deserved-" Brady began.

Mikayla cut him off by grabbing a fist full of his shirt and crashing her lips into his. Boomer wolf-whistled (which only earned him a disapproving look from Mason) and Brady was dazed. The guard girl pulled away. "Never leave me again, promise?" She warned.

Brady nodded, afraid of the wrath of Mikayla. "I promise."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and ran off the castle, deciding that she shouldn't look back. Mason gave Brady a death glare before rushing after his daughter.

"Did that just-?" Boomer asked.

"Uh-huh."

"And it was real?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Brady shrugged. He sighed happily. "Let's not question it."

Boomer threw his hands up defensively. "Whatever." He left his brother to stand in the middle of the arena, all by himself.

Brady's mind raced with thousands of thoughts. The girl of his dreams had just kissed him-and he wasn't under a spell that time! And twice in one day! Boy was he lucky. But on a more important note, he had just escaped the clutches of hell-three times. Let's just hope that he won't have to go through _The King's Challenge_ again.

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><p><strong>Oh. My. Gosh. It took me more than a week to finish this and now that it is, it's just too good to be true! It also had a really bad ending, but what ever. Don't forget to leave a review! Tell me if it was meant to be thrown in the trash, it was decent, or it was brilliant (which I highly doubt). <strong>

**~Wendy Pierce**


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